The Record: How we're made

The Record

PRESIDENT OBAMA used Tuesday's State of the Union address to describe Americans very simply as "citizens." It came at the end of a lengthy address that covered domestic, economic and foreign policy. But it was not until near the end of the hour-plus speech that the president found eloquence.

Being a citizen, as he put it, "It's a word that doesn't just describe our nationality or legal status. It describes the way we're made. … It captures the enduring idea that this country only works when we accept certain obligations to one another and to future generations."

This may be the foundation for Obama's second-term vision.

Building on some of the same themes he set forth in his inaugural address, the president said it's the nation's obligation to ensure that all citizens find it easy to vote, that all children are educated to the fullest, that our environment is as pure as it can be and that economic opportunity beckons for all.

The president was at his best in urging, if not pleading, for Congress to vote on bills to control gun violence. To make the point, Obama referred to the recent mass shootings in Newtown, Conn., and Aurora, Colo., in addition to the fatal shooting of 15-year-old Hadiya Pendleton, which he said occurred "just a mile away from my house" in Chicago. Hadiya had taken part with classmates at Obama's inaugural just weeks ago.

These victims and others deserve a vote on gun control legislation, he said. The president is right.

Foreign policy often captures public attention, and these times are no exception.

For a long time, the war in Afghanistan has been all but forgotten. It's been going on for more than 11 years, but it was not a major issue in last year's presidential election. The president bought that long and unpopular war back into public focus Tuesday night with a pledge to bring 34,000 American troops home this year. Ever since Osama bin Laden's death in May, 2011, the reason for continued American involvement in that unstable nation has been spurious at best. And judging from the cheers in the chamber, that is something our politically divided Congress and nation seem to agree on.

The president's address came amid conflicting economic news. On the minus side, the nation's economy contracted by a tenth of a percentage point in the last quarter of 2012 and unemployment nudged up slightly to 7.9 percent. On the positive side, the nation created almost 160,000 jobs in January, inflation is virtually nil and the Dow has surged above 14,000.

The president spent the first half of his address trying to convince Congress to support his initiatives to create jobs. The centerpiece of that plan appears to be a "Fix-it-First" program that would put people to work repairing what the president said were 70,000 structurally deficient bridges. He also expressed a welcome willingness to compromise with Republicans on reforming Social Security and Medicare.

Absent were the details of how his proposals would remain deficit-neutral or how Democrats and Republicans would find consensus to achieve big things in this new Congress.

But all in all, this was a stirring call for action by a confident, second-term president. There will be much to discuss in the coming months over its substance and implementation, but the president firmly set his agenda. Let the debate begin.

The Record: How we're made

The Record

PRESIDENT OBAMA used Tuesday's State of the Union address to describe Americans very simply as "citizens." It came at the end of a lengthy address that covered domestic, economic and foreign policy. But it was not until near the end of the hour-plus speech that the president found eloquence.

Being a citizen, as he put it, "It's a word that doesn't just describe our nationality or legal status. It describes the way we're made. … It captures the enduring idea that this country only works when we accept certain obligations to one another and to future generations."

This may be the foundation for Obama's second-term vision.

Building on some of the same themes he set forth in his inaugural address, the president said it's the nation's obligation to ensure that all citizens find it easy to vote, that all children are educated to the fullest, that our environment is as pure as it can be and that economic opportunity beckons for all.

The president was at his best in urging, if not pleading, for Congress to vote on bills to control gun violence. To make the point, Obama referred to the recent mass shootings in Newtown, Conn., and Aurora, Colo., in addition to the fatal shooting of 15-year-old Hadiya Pendleton, which he said occurred "just a mile away from my house" in Chicago. Hadiya had taken part with classmates at Obama's inaugural just weeks ago.

These victims and others deserve a vote on gun control legislation, he said. The president is right.

Foreign policy often captures public attention, and these times are no exception.

For a long time, the war in Afghanistan has been all but forgotten. It's been going on for more than 11 years, but it was not a major issue in last year's presidential election. The president bought that long and unpopular war back into public focus Tuesday night with a pledge to bring 34,000 American troops home this year. Ever since Osama bin Laden's death in May, 2011, the reason for continued American involvement in that unstable nation has been spurious at best. And judging from the cheers in the chamber, that is something our politically divided Congress and nation seem to agree on.

The president's address came amid conflicting economic news. On the minus side, the nation's economy contracted by a tenth of a percentage point in the last quarter of 2012 and unemployment nudged up slightly to 7.9 percent. On the positive side, the nation created almost 160,000 jobs in January, inflation is virtually nil and the Dow has surged above 14,000.

The president spent the first half of his address trying to convince Congress to support his initiatives to create jobs. The centerpiece of that plan appears to be a "Fix-it-First" program that would put people to work repairing what the president said were 70,000 structurally deficient bridges. He also expressed a welcome willingness to compromise with Republicans on reforming Social Security and Medicare.

Absent were the details of how his proposals would remain deficit-neutral or how Democrats and Republicans would find consensus to achieve big things in this new Congress.

But all in all, this was a stirring call for action by a confident, second-term president. There will be much to discuss in the coming months over its substance and implementation, but the president firmly set his agenda. Let the debate begin.